LibGuides: American Literature Since 1945: Media

Authors & Their Works

Try these videos to get started. Must access on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.

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Allen Ginsberg and Friends (60:00) This program features readings and comments by the late Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg analyzes the poetry of Blake, then reads from his own poems, “Do the Meditation Rock” and “Skeleton.” Other poets include Vietnamese-born Le Thi Diem Thuy, Robert Hass, Mark Doty, Marie Howe, and Yusef Komunyakaa. Komunyakaa, Li-Young Lee, Louis Jenkins, and Hass discuss poetic interpretations of personal and political history, and provide examples through readings from their poems.
American Road (106:00) Using Walt Whitman’s poetry as a touchstone, this fascinating documentary examines the mystique of the road in American literature, art, and music. The wanderings of Mark Twain, Woody Guthrie, Jack Kerouac, and others are contextualized within their work and with historical events, while commentary on the road as a symbol of freedom and transformation is provided by Anne Waldman, John Nichols (The Milagro Beanfield War), J. D. Hall, and historian Adam Green. With Ed Asner as the voice of Walt Whitman. The second half of the video, the segments beginning with Angel Headed Hipsters, focus on the beats and hippies.
American Writers on Writing (75:00) Updike, Roth, Barth, Irving: their names reverberate in the halls of modern American literature. In this NewsHour program, these four literary icons—along with the highly regarded writers Frank McCourt and Susan Sontag—offer insights into their books and the heady, and sometimes frustrating, process of writing them.
Arthur Miller: An Interview (76:00) In this exclusive interview, Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Arthur Miller speaks about his life and career. Beginning in New York, Miller traces his early years through the Great Depression, offering insights into how this lean time influenced his work.
Creativity with Bill Moyers: Maya Angelou (59:00) Following acclaimed poet and memoirist Maya Angelou on a visit to her childhood surroundings in Stamps, Arkansas, this Bill Moyers interview remains a classic of broadcast journalism and a valuable teaching tool for African-American studies.
Eudora Welty: A Worn Path (32:00) Touching upon themes of family, love, aging, and poverty, this dramatization of Eudora Welty’s classic story "A Worn Path" provides both a heroic image of the human spirit enduring against tremendous odds and a poignant commentary on the African-American experience. An interview with Welty herself by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Beth Henley concludes the program.
Flannery O’Connor (21:00) Flannery O’Connor is often likened to Faulkner for her portrayal of the character and lifestyle of the South, Kafka for her fascination with the bizarre, and Beckett for her dark humor—comparisons that underscore the fact that her voice has a unique place in the canon of American literature.
The Heart of Things (54:00) Adrienne Rich, Victor Hernandez Cruz, and Michael S. Harper have changed the way poetry is heard, read, and absorbed. This program showcases these three poets who exult in language’s ability to illuminate culture and history.
Rita Dove—Decoding the Language of Poetry (30:00) Through an intimate conversation and select readings, Moyers and Dove explore American history, language, culture, and ideas.
Series: In Black And White: Six Profiles Of African American Authors This six-part series introduces students to six of America’s most highly acclaimed contemporary writers: Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman, and August Wilson. With works ranging from plays to poetry to essays, short stories, and novels, the works of these multi-award-winning authors has helped to define the 21st century literary canon. 6 parts, 22–31 minutes each.
TEDTalks: Amy Tan—Where Does Creativity Hide? (23:00) Tan has said in the past that “books were my salvation. Books saved me from being miserable.” In this TEDTalk, she speaks further on the human response to suffering, digging deep into the creative process and searching for hints of how hers evolved.
Tennessee Williams and the American South (45:00) This outstanding program traces the life of Tennessee Williams, revisiting the locations in the Southern states that were his inspiration. Scenes from Williams’ most memorable works, including The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, evoke the atmosphere, characters, and conflicts of the Deep South, while footage of a rare television interview and a dramatic reenactment of the life of the young Tennessee provide new insights into one of America’s greatest playwrights.

Performances & Readings

Try these videos to get started. Must access on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.

Want more on finding media? Try Articles & Media.

Death of a Salesman (120:00) Abbreviated but superb 1966 television adaptation by Arthur Miller of his Pulitzer Prize–winning modern tragedy—starring the incomparable Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock, re-creating their original Broadway roles as the Lomans. In a career-defining performance, Cobb portrays the suffering Willy Loman—the middle-aged man at the end of his emotional rope—with Dunnock equally impressive as his patient wife, Linda. George Segal and James Farentino play their disillusioned sons, Biff and Happy.
Glass Menagerie (100:00) Four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn made her television dramatic debut as the indomitable, overbearing matriarch, Amanda Wingfield, in Tennessee Williams’ poignant 1945 memory play.
John Updike: A&P (31:00) This program presents a dramatization of John Updike’s frequently anthologized story of irony and innocence. Updike himself comments on the story in an interview with Donald M. Murray, columnist for The Boston Globe and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry A substantial insurance payment could mean either financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.

More Media

In addition to streaming media, we have DVDs, images, audio and more media.

Great American Authors Read From Their Works V.1. James Baldwin reading from Another country -- James Baldwin reading from Giovanni's room -- William Styron reading from Lie down in darkness -- James Jones reading from From here to eternity -- Philip Roth reading from Letting go -- v.2. Nelson Algren reading from The man with the golden arm -- Bernard Malamud reading "The mourners" from The magic barrel -- John Updike reading "Lifeguard" from Pigeon feathers and other stories -- James Jones reading from The thin red line.
The Lottery When a man tries to find out why his mother died, he finds there is something mysterious and sinister about a seemingly normal small New England town.
To Kill A Mockingbird Gregory Peck plays a southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape in this film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The way in which it captures a time, a place, and above all, a mood, makes this film a masterpiece.
The Verdict An alcoholic, failed attorney is reduced to ambulance chasing. A friend gives him a supposedly easy malpractice case which becomes a last chance to redeem himself and his career.

Elizabeth Bishop Reading the First Four Stanzas of Her Poem “Manuelzinho.” (2:50)